Preschool Program Awarded Prestigious Five-Star Rating!

Imagine having over thirty preschoolers under your care each and every day. Being responsible for not only each of their mental, emotional, moral/social, physical and spiritual needs; but also the far more rudimentary ones.Sixty small hands that must be washed and dried repeatedly throughout the day, thirty sleep mats that must be clean, covered and a specific width apart, and thirty lunch bags whose individual contents must each conform to a strict set of guidelines: there must be milk (regardless of whether the child drinks it), there must be a napkin on which to set all food, there must be one portion of fruit, vegetable, carbohydrate and protein and though dried fruit is acceptable only fresh vegetable is allowed. Each and every lunch bag must be labelled with the current date, any water bottles left behind at the end of the day must be thrown away, a spare set of clothes must be kept at all times, etc, etc, etc.

It’s a lot to remember, and no doubt, even more to enforce.

But this is just a glimpse of all the guidelines RMCS Preschool Staff must take on board each, and every day. Along with, of course, the myriad of things that come with little people:  perpetually runny noses, scrapes requiring Band-Aids and of course – hugs, and multiple-child negotiations that would try even the patience and diplomacy skills of Nelson Mandela.

So, it’s no small thing that not only does the Preschool Staff do the exceptional job it does, each and everyday, but that it also manages it so successfully that it has now been awarded the State of North Carolina’s highly respected, and much-coveted, five-star ECERS rating.

“It was an incredible process,” Judith Beers, Preschool Director at RMCS, told me.

The ECERS, otherwise known as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, was developed at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina. It was designed to enable teachers to create developmentally appropriate learning environments for preschool and kindergarten aged children.  Its scale is used to develop and quantify quality standards in not only the US, but Canada and abroad.

The ECERS assessment is not required by state law; it is performed on a voluntary basis. However, in order to offer its community the strongest preschool program possible, RMCS chose to undergo the gruelling assessment.

Newly revised, the updated ECERS-R (the R is for revised) covers seven subscales in total: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language-reasoning, activities, interaction, program structure and, last but by no means least – parents and staff.

More broadly speaking, while the original ECERS was comprised of three core components: compliance, staff education, and the overall program itself, the updated ECERS-R has been narrowed down to two: staff education and the program. In the past, the preschool program at RMCS had received high scores on compliance and the overall program, but had fallen a little short on the staff education component. However, thanks to Judith and the rest of the staff’s perseverance and hard work the preschool program was able to bring the last piece up, and exceed expectations. In order to achieve this, Judith underwent some intensive administrative testing and portfolio work. She also worked hard towards creating some core materials for the program, including the Parent Handbook and the Staff Preschool Handbook; both of which went towards earning RMCS preschool program the valuable quality point. Additionally, the entire preschool staff had to assemble all transcripts and undergo further training.

Earning the ECERS five star rating is no small accomplishment; particularly when you’re trying to juggle Kleenex, Band-Aids, multiple-child negotiations and the all important hug. A big thanks to Judith and entire Preschool Staff* for going above and beyond, and for doing what they do each – and every – day.

*Judith Beers, Preschool Director at RMCS, has been teaching in preschools for more than 26 years, and over 15 years at Rainbow Mountain. She has a Bachelors Degree in Speech and Hearing and has her Montessori Teaching Credential for ages 3 through 6.

Jessy Decker, Lead Teacher, has been teaching preschool at Rainbow Mountain for more than 11 years and received her early childhood teaching credential in 2001. She studied art and education for 3 years at Warren Wilson College, and she has taken courses in early childhood education at Western Carolina University and AB Tech Community College.

Robe Kane, Lead Teacher, has been teaching preschool for more than 11 years. This is his 8th year at Rainbow Mountain.

Brena Fletcher is an Assistant Teacher at Rainbow Mountain.

Written by Marlo Bester-Sproul mother of a Rainbow Mountain Preschooler and writer and editor. You can reach her at www.writtenbird.com